What: Hispanic Heritage Awards dinner and after-party. The nonprofit Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s annual celebration is dedicated to promoting Latino leaders.

Where: Renaissance Washington DC Hotel

When: Thursday evening, October 11, 2007.

Who: Award recipients included actors Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt; Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Pérez; That ’70s Show actor Wilmer Valderrama; Mulholland Drive star Laura Harring; rapper Armando “Pitbull” Pérez. Scrubs star Judy Reyes was master of ceremonies. Congress members among the award recipients included Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Democrat Xavier Becerra of California. Democrat Linda Sanchez of California was a presenter. Also in attendance were many prominent Latinos and members of the business community.

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Food: The usual assortment of steak, shrimp, and side dishes.

Drink: Wine and a full bar.

Scene: A vibrant crowd, with celebrities, businesspeople, and politicians mingling comfortably. Highlights of the dinner included a spoken-word performance by young poets Frank Lopez and Elizabeth Acevedo that received a standing ovation. At the after-party, many—including Rosario Dawson—danced and drank well past midnight to a Cuban band.

Perhaps the sheer number of recent events put together by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation had allowed folks to bond and party so late. Just the night before, they had gathered for a prerelease screening of Love in the Time of Cholera, a film based on the Gabriel García Márquez novel, at the Uptown Theatre.

Ratings:

Boldface names: 4 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 3 (out of 5)
Food and drink: 3 (out of 5)
Exclusivity: 4 (out of 5)

Total score: 14 (out of 20)